Macromedia Flash 8: Training from the Source

Macromedia Flash 8: Training from the Source

Released October 2005
Publisher(s): Adobe Press
ISBN: 9780321336293

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Book description

What began life as a simple Web animation tool has evolved into a powerful platform for Web application development—which means that if you’re serious about developing for the Web, you need to get serious about learning Flash. With its breakthrough motion-graphics capabilities and powerful run-time effects, Flash 8 provides the tools, authoring power, and rich video capabilities you need to provide stunning interactive content. This Macromedia-certified guide provides the key to learning the basics of Flash 8. Through a series of hands-on projects, master trainer James English provides a firm foundation in everything Flash—from graphics, animation, and video to ActionScript fundamentals. Simple step-by-step instructions and tons of screenshots guide you through the process of creating buttons and links, drawing and animating in Flash, formatting text, adding video and sound, loading data, and more—in short, everything you need to develop sophisticated, professional-looking Web sites. A companion CD includes the lesson files needed to complete the book’s projects as well as a trial version of the program itself.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedication
  2. Bio
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. Introduction
    1. Prerequisites
    2. Outline
    3. The Project Application
    4. Standard Elements in the Book
    5. Macromedia Training from the Source
    6. Macromedia Authorized Training and Certification
    7. What You Will Learn
    8. Minimum System Requirements
      1. Windows
      2. Macintosh
  5. 1. Learning the Basics
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Introducing Flash 8
    5. Looking at the Flash Workspace
    6. Creating Your First Flash 8 Document
    7. Working with Panels
    8. Using the Timeline and Frames
    9. Working with Layers
    10. Setting Your Preferences
    11. Testing an FLA File
    12. Finding Help
    13. Exploring the Project
    14. What You Have Learned
  6. 2. Creating Graphics
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Using the Tools Panel
    5. Learning About Fills and Strokes
    6. Using Vector and Bitmap Images
    7. Using Color
    8. Creating Graphics with Drawing Tools
    9. Using Guides, Grids, Coordinates, and Snapping
    10. Creating a New Graphic Symbol
    11. Creating and Using Masks
    12. Adding Strokes
    13. Using the Library
    14. Importing and Optimizing Bitmaps
    15. Importing Vector Drawings
    16. Using Fills and Gradients
    17. Manipulating Graphics
    18. What You Have Learned
  7. 3. Using Text
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Using the Text Tool
    5. Understanding Static Text and Device Fonts
    6. Adding Static Text to a Document
    7. Using Embedded Fonts
    8. Looking at Font Properties
    9. Adding a Timeline Effect to a Text Field
    10. Spell Check Your Document
    11. Using Text-Based Components
    12. Understanding Dynamic Text Fields
    13. What You Have Learned
  8. 4. Creating and Editing Symbols
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Symbols Explained
    5. Creating and Editing Symbols on the Stage
    6. Looking at Symbols in the Library
    7. Nesting Symbols and Timelines
    8. Revisiting Graphic Symbols
    9. Creating Buttons
    10. Placing the Buttons On the Stage
    11. Creating Text Buttons
    12. Creating an Invisible Button
    13. Creating and Using Movie Clips
    14. Creating the Menu
    15. Creating Movie Clip Buttons
    16. Duplicating Symbols and Adding Symbols to the Stage
    17. What You Have Learned
  9. 5. Creating Animations
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Animating Explained
    5. Setting Up for a Motion Tween
    6. Adding the Motion Tweens
    7. Animating Alpha Levels and Size
    8. Animating the Movie Clip Button
    9. Creating a Shape Tween
    10. Creating Frame-by-Frame Animations
    11. Animating Along a Path
    12. What You Have Learned
  10. 6. Adding Basic Interactivity
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Making Flash Documents Interactive
    5. Introducing Behaviors
    6. Using a Behavior to Load a JPEG
    7. Using Behaviors to Open a Web Page
    8. Loading an External SWF File with a Component
    9. Introducing Script Assist
    10. Using Actions to Control the Timeline
    11. Creating a Home Button
    12. Removing the Hand Cursor
    13. Making the Movie Clip Button Work
    14. Using the Script Navigator and Pins
    15. What You Have Learned
  11. 7. Adding Sound and Video
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Using Sound and Video
    5. Editing Sound and Video
    6. Assuming Responsibility with Your Media
    7. Compression, Codecs, and Plug-ins
    8. Delivering Media Online
    9. File Size Considerations
    10. Importing Sound into a Document
    11. Adding and Customizing Sound
    12. Adding Sound to a Button
    13. Importing Video into Flash
    14. Encoding the Video
    15. What You Have Learned
  12. 8. Creating Forms Using Components
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Introducing Forms and Data
    5. Introducing Flash Components
    6. Building the Feedback Form
    7. Using the Button Component
    8. Building a Questionnaire Using Flash
    9. Using the Focus Manager
    10. What You Have Learned
  13. 9. Learning ActionScript Basics
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Learning about ActionScript 2.0
    5. Learning About Classes, Methods, and Properties
    6. Looking at Methods and Properties
    7. Learning How to Use Strict Data Typing
    8. Using Code Hints in the Actions Panel
    9. Using Functions and Conditional Statements
    10. Understanding Scope
    11. Using _root, _parent, this, and Levels
    12. Understanding LoadVars
    13. Creating the Reviews Page
    14. Using Events and Handlers
    15. Using Listeners
    16. Adding a Listener to the Reviews Page
    17. Adding Cascading Style Sheet Formatting to the Reviews
    18. Creating the Catalog Pages
    19. Building the Main Catalog
    20. Creating the News Page
    21. Building the Home Page
    22. Animating the Menu
    23. Controlling the Menu’s Buttons
    24. What You Have Learned
  14. 10. Loading and Optimizing Flash Content
    1. What You Will Learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Optimizing Flash Documents
    5. Organizing Applications and Using Good Practices
    6. Understanding Usability
    7. Optimizing Animation
    8. Making a Background More Efficient with Runtime Bitmap Caching
    9. Understanding Bandwidth and File Size
    10. Considering User Platforms
    11. Loading External Content
    12. Loading Content into the Main Application
    13. Sending Data Out of Flash
      1. Sending Data Out of the Feedback Form
      2. Sending Data Out of the Questionnaire Form
    14. Adding the ProgressBar Component
    15. Loading the Tech Bookstore
    16. Testing and Debugging the Tech Bookstore
    17. What You Have Learned
  15. 11. Publishing Flash Documents
    1. What You Will learn
    2. Approximate Time
    3. Lesson Files
    4. Adding Metadata and Publishing SWF Files
    5. Detecting Flash Player
    6. Embedding an SWF File in an HTML Page
    7. Uploading the Tech Bookstore to the Web
    8. Wrapping It All Up
    9. What You Have Learned
  16. A. Installing Extensions
    1. Installing Extensions and Components
    2. Adding Commands and Behaviors to Flash
    3. Where to Find Extensions
  17. B. Resources
    1. Macromedia.com
    2. Tutorial and Resource Sites
    3. Forums
    4. E-mail Lists
    5. Extensions and Fonts
    6. Third-Party Tools and Integration
    7. Related Macromedia Press Books
  18. C. Keyboard Shortcuts
  19. Training from the Source

Product information

  • Title: Macromedia Flash 8: Training from the Source
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: October 2005
  • Publisher(s): Adobe Press
  • ISBN: 9780321336293